The first appointment is normally an opportunity for the guardian(s) to meet with the therapist without the child or children present. During this session, you and the therapist will spend time getting to know one another. The therapist will take approximately an hour to get to know you and to hear about your concerns. Your therapist will collect information about your concerns and your reason(s) for seeking therapy along with personal history that may be relevant to therapy. Expect an hour full of questions—this helps your therapist better understand you and your needs and helps to “paint a picture” about what you’re needing from therapy. Once you’ve had the opportunity to discuss everything, you and the therapist will discuss ongoing recommendations. Recommendations include what type of therapy, how often, for how long, etc…as well as any additional services that may be helpful. You and your therapist will agree on recommendations that best fit your lifestyle and needs. If you or the therapist believe that she isn’t the right fit for your child or family then she will help you explore other options.
Prior to the appointment, you will be given initial paperwork through our electronic patient portal that explains our privacy policy and our professional services. You will also complete demographic information, insurance information, and sign that you understand your Privacy Rights and our Service Agreement and that you consent for therapy services–all electronically prior to that first session. We will then review all of this during the first appointment, as well.
Please feel free to find the Brighter Futures Counseling service agreement and other forms under the Forms tab of our website. While you will complete these electronically within our client portal–reviewing them ahead can often help you decide if our agency is the right fit for your needs.
First Visit for the Child/Adolescent
Once the therapist has had the opportunity to meet with the guardian(s) and everyone agrees that moving forward if the best plan…the next appointment is normally scheduled with the child/adolescent. During this appointment, the child will return with the guardian to meet the therapist for the first time. The guardian will usually attend this session with the child for at least part if not all of the session–this is normally left up to the child.
The goals of this session are to help the child/adolescent get comfortable with the therapist, discuss the child’s/adolescent’s goals for therapy, discuss the guardian’s goals for therapy, and discuss how the therapist normally engages in therapy. We discuss how confidentiality works, what therapy sessions normally look like, how often we will meet, etc… We try to take the “guess work” out of therapy so it feels a little less scary and much more comfortable. We will also spend some time just getting to know one another–the therapist wants to learn anything your child wants to share with them and is open to answering any questions your child may have. Our hope is that your child leaves the office feeling comfortable with the therapist, the space, and the plan.
After this session, we schedule ongoing therapy sessions at the interval and duration that best fits your child’s needs.